Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Tipped to Come With Two Hinges, Sliding Keyboard

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (not the official name) may come with a dual hinge design and a sliding keyboard, as per a new report. It looks like Samsung is working on multiple folding phones and one model that is rumoured to be the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has been allegedly leaked in the form of product sketches from a design patent filed in 2018. They show a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 like design but with another panel that also folds, and has a sliding keyboard.

The design patent, as noted by LetsGoDigital, was filed by Samsung Display in mid-2018 with Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and it was discovered in July this year. It contains eight product sketches and a brief description, the report noted. The sketch shows a device in its unfolded state with two hinges and a keyboard sticking out from one of the sides. Based on the product sketches, the publication collaborated with Sarang Sheth, who is the editor-in-chief at Yanko Design (an online magazine for international product design), to create 3D renders of the phone.

The rumoured Galaxy Z Fold 3 unofficial renders show a tripe rear camera design
Photo Credit: LetsGoDigital

Looking at these renders — that as mentioned above are not from Samsung — the rumoured Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a Galaxy Z Fold 2 like design, but with an additional hinge that allows another screen to unfold, making it a long single display in its unfolded form. One of the screens folds normally like it does on the Galaxy Z Fold 2, but the third screen folds outwards, allowing for a usable display to always be at the top. Additionally, from the sides of one of the folding screens, a sliding QWERTY keyboard can be seen with touch sensitive keys.

When completely folded, this phone in the render looks quite similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The bezels are quite narrow all around and there is a USB Type-C port as well. The renders show a hole-punch design for the front camera (depending on how you hold the phone), and a triple rear camera setup.

Galaxy Z Fold 3 is said to come with a sliding keyboard
Photo Credit: LetsGoDigital

The renders shared by LetsGoDigital show the rumoured Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 in different use cases and form factors. The design of this phone seems quite unique, but of course, these are renders based on a patent, and not necessarily what the phone will eventually look like. The report also mentions that the rumoured phone will have a light indicator in the hinge as Samsung was awarded a patent for it earlier this month.

As of now, Samsung has not shared any information on the rumoured Galaxy Z Fold 3 and these images are not official, so the actual phone could look quite different when it is officially announced.

Is this the end of the Samsung Galaxy Note series as we know it? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.